A work in progress
by HPfanfiction
Summary: Hermione has a secret. Why has a young woman applied for the DADA post? Who is the mysterious young boy that is tormenting Snape....This is a work in progress. If the reviews are not favourable, then I am not destined to be a writer.


Well I`ve decided to try my hand at writing a story. If the feedback is good I will continue the first chapter…  
  
  
  
1 Prologue  
  
"How could you do that?" Hermione spun round and grabbed Ron forcibly by the shoulders. "I don`t believe it..I ..I..Oh Ron NO!" Hermione started to shake, this was quickly followed by small gentle sobs, which in turn gave way to large silvery tears which rolled down her cheeks and fell onto her outstretched arms which still held Ron.  
  
"Hermione I`m s.."  
  
"No Ron you can`t even begin to be sorry." She gently dropped her arms and dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. Ron looked like a small child who had been caught red handed in the cookie jar. "Hermione PLEASE. If you could just listen to me, I`m sure it would.." Ron stopped.  
  
Hermione gazed down at the floor, unable to believe that someone she considered a friend could be so hurtful towards her.  
  
The Gryffindor common room had suddenly begun to feel very small and restrictive. Hermione wanted to run, run away from Ron, from Hogwarts, but especially from all that had happened over the last four days.  
  
Hermione had been unable to believe the events that had unfolded, and now it seemed that the one person she trusted had lied to her all along.  
  
  
  
Chapter 1... Hermione`s secret.  
  
Hermione came rushing into the Gryffindor common room and ran straight over to where Harry and Ron were discussing the finer points of Wizard Chess.  
  
"No Ron, you`ve got it all wrong" said Harry "If the knight moves then he becomes open from the bish…"  
  
"I`ve found it!" Hermione didn`t seem to notice that her friends were busy. "I`ve just come back from the.."  
  
"library" said Harry and Ron together.  
  
"well yes, but if you didn`t spend so much time on this stupid game, you might learn something."  
  
Ron looked up at Hermione, sometimes she was right, ok, nearly always, but now she was just being a pest. Harry saw the look in Ron`s eyes and thought he had better say something. It had been just over a week since the new defence against the dark arts teacher had set the assignment and now with only 4 days to go before it was due to be handed in, tempers were starting to fray.Harry moved the board to one side. "O.K. then, what have you got for us?"  
  
"well it seems that the last time the barranmayka spell was used was in 1745"  
  
" Err what has that got to do with the assignment"  
  
"Don`t you see Harry, 1745 was the year of the great spell famine, when wizards were unable to cast any kind of a spell unless they were in a group of at least eight"  
  
Hermione looked at Harry and Ron for some sign of an idea dawning. But Ron shrugging his shoulders wasn`t exactly what she had in mind.  
  
"Oh come on. Do I have to do all the work!"  
  
Hermione liked to do as much work as there were hours in the day, but she realised that sometimes it was better to give the opposite impression.  
  
"Right then" said Harry "let`s go and see Tina. She`ll soon tell us if we`re heading in the right direction."  
  
After the previous defence against the dark arts teachers had lasted (in one way or another), about a year. Dumbledore had some difficulty in assigning a suitable candidate to the post. As soon as Tina Buckley walked into his study, Dumbledore could sense she was going to be the new teacher. Of course he knew about her parents and her younger brother, but that was probably in her favour. Snape on the other hand took one look and exploded "But you`re a.."  
  
"woman? " replied Tina. " I see your powers of observation have not deserted you since last we met."  
  
Snape looked hard at Tina, almost willing her to turn away.  
  
"Oooo not the dreaded Snape stare, look if you`ve got a problem Snape then I suggest you address it to the gentleman on your left" Dumbledore looked over to Snape.  
  
"well Severus?"  
  
Professor Snape cleared his throat. "I was merely going to say that you are a little young for such a post"  
  
"come,come Severus" Dumbledore got up and walked over to Tina, gently placing an old wizened arm around her shoulder. "I assume you know of Miss Buckley`s past endeavours and would want to welcome her to Hogwarts?"  
  
Severus Snape looked from Dumbledore to the woman beside him. This was going to be his year, and the last thing that would stop him would be a woman….  
  
  
  
Authors note… well that`s a taster. If I get enough response I`ll carry on. Otherwise I`ll consign the story to the back recesses of my mind. 


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